Photos: Shadowing the Fort Worth Police Department

On Friday afternoon I was invited to take a ride out with a Fort Worth Police Officer in Fort Worth, Texas. I spent the evening taking photos and driving around the North Central division.

The weather was cold, windy, and occasionally rainy, resulting in decreased criminal mischief. The duration of the ride-along was relaxing, as the city was mostly quiet. But we did have the opportunity to navigate through a few situations…

Our first stop of the day involved responding to a small theft from a nearby commercial outlet of the ‘Dollar General’ variety, where it was presumed a black male had stolen some kind-of medication. Upon arriving on scene, a store associate clarified the account as possible theft of a pair of gloves, or mittens. The thief was not apprehended.

We later responded to a commercial alarm, although these are apparently quasi-regular events often tripped accidentally or due to technical malfunction. Needless to say there were no signs of forced entry, and certainly no culprit in sight.

Later in the evening, an officer during a routine traffic stop had requested back-up (us) for a female driver who had warrants. After being arrested her vehicle was searched and then sized. To my surprise, this process was quite lengthy – almost an hour in duration.

After this incident we responded to a traffic collision on the highway in which several vehicles were involved. We were somewhat late to the scene as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had already arrived, although it appeared as though no one was in life threatening condition.

Followed by some additional patrol time during which nothing eventful happened, we later ate dinner with another officer, then patrolled more until the shift was over. Apart from running the miscellaneous license plate, browsing public parks for curfew violation, and the various, random patrol around the district, I was told it was an unusually slow night for a Friday, again, this was chalked up to the weather.

For your viewing pleasure, below are a few images I took during the trip: